One Pipe Steam Counter Flow Questions

Brad White_198

The Hartford Loop may or may not be part of the issues. Think of the Hartford Loop firstly as a "safety seal" to keep water in the boiler should the return line leak.

A Hartford Loop should be installed on all such steam systems with few exceptions. If the boiler manufacturer recommends it, it becomes a code requirement in most jurisdictions. It is good practice regardless.

Secondly, the Hartford Loop can act, in concert with the wet return, as a seal to keep steam out of the return line. (Too often I have seen returns dropping down and connecting to the equalizer in a location that may occasionally be above the waterline, thus allowing steam to hold back any return condensate. A drop and rise would solve this.)

The make-up water usually goes into a wet return, yes.

A counter-flow system would normally have a drop to the return shortly after the main leaves the boiler, to drop off the returning backflowing condensate of course. You probably have this; if not, I cannot imagine how it works without a secondary means of return. Let's assume you have that.

The main vent should indeed go towards the end. Getting air out of the boiler is great, I would leave that as it does no harm, but it does nothing toward getting your main vented. Hold it back at least 15 inches from the end elbow though.

Chris_102

Hartford Loop In a Single Pipe Counter Flow Steam System

I have a customer that has a Single pipe counter flow (reverse flow) steam system, and he has been having some problems. Most of it is air problems, but when I was looking at the piping there was no Hartford loop piped in. But do you need a Hartford loop in this particular system? Also, the water supply should best be installed on the return of the boiler? He also has his main steam vent about 3 linear feet off of the supply main, should I move this to the end of the run? ( about 25' )